The surface carboxyl group of carbonaceous microspheres effects on the synthesis and structure of SiOC ceramics

In this study, C/SiOC and C/SiO₂ composites were prepared by using carbonaceous microspheres with different surface functional groups. Carbonaceous microspheres based on hydrothermal reaction of glucose contains hydroxyl group, while the surface carboxyl group increases after NaOH etching. The hydroxyl group increases the oxygen-enriched structural units of SiOC ceramics, and the C spheres are closely enwrapped in SiOC matrix after pyrolysis at 900 °C. However, the interfacial reaction of surface carboxyl with Si–OH results in the formation of cristobalite SiO₂, and C spheres are not only encased inside the SiOC matrix, but also dispersed outside of SiOC ceramics. After removal of C via calcination at 500 °C for 5 h, C/SiOC and C/SiO₂ composites are transformed into amorphous SiO₂ and cristobalite SiO₂, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis indicates the oxidation resistance of SiOC is superior to that of C and SiO₂.     

Ratiometric Detection of Glutathione Based on Disulfide Linkage Rupture between a FRET Coumarin Donor and a Rhodamine Acceptor

Abnormal levels of glutathione, a cellular antioxidant, can lead to a variety of diseases. We have constructed a near-infrared ratiometric fluorescent probe to detect glutathione concentrations in biological samples. The probe consists of a coumarin donor, which is connected through a disulfide-tethered linker to a rhodamine acceptor. Under the excitation of the coumarin donor at 405 nm, the probe shows weak visible fluorescence of the coumarin donor at 470 nm and strong near-infrared fluorescence of the rhodamine acceptor at 652 nm due to efficient Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the donor to the acceptor. Glutathione breaks the disulfide bond through reduction, which results in a dramatic increase in coumarin fluorescence and a corresponding decrease in rhodamine fluorescence. The probe possesses excellent cell permeability, biocompatibility, and good ratiometric fluorescence responses to glutathione and cysteine with a self-calibration capability. The probe was utilized to ratiometrically visualize glutathione concentration alterations in HeLa cells and Drosophila melanogaster larvae.     

Reconstructed Water Oxidation Electrocatalysts: The Impact of Surface Dynamics on Intrinsic Activities

Electroreduction of small molecules such as H₂O, CO₂, and N₂ for producing clean fuels or valuable chemicals provides a sustainable approach to meet the increasing global energy demands and to alleviate the concern on climate change resulting from fossil fuel consumption. On the path to implement this purpose, however, several scientific hurdles remain, one of which is the low energy efficiency due to the sluggish kinetics of the paired oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In response, it is highly desirable to synthesize high-performance and cost-effective OER electrocatalysts. Recent advances have witnessed surface reconstruction engineering as a salient tool to significantly improve the catalytic performance of OER electrocatalysts. In this review, recent progress on the reconstructed OER electrocatalysts and future opportunities are discussed. A brief introduction of the fundamentals of OER and the experimental approaches for generating and characterizing the reconstructed active sites in OER nanocatalysts are given first, followed by an expanded discussion of recent advances on the reconstructed OER electrocatalysts with improved activities, with a particular emphasis on understanding the correlation between surface dynamics and activities. Finally, a prospect for clean future energy communities harnessing surface reconstruction-promoted electrochemical water oxidation will be provided.     

Direct View on the Origin of High Li+ Transfer Impedance in All-Solid-State Battery

Large interfacial resistance plays a dominant role in the performance of all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries. However, the mechanism of interfacial resistance has been under debate. Here, the Li⁺ transport at the interfacial region is investigated to reveal the origin of the high Li⁺ transfer impedance in a LiCoO₂(LCO)/LiPON/Pt all-solid-state battery. Both an unexpected nanocrystalline layer and a structurally disordered transition layer are discovered to be inherent to the LCO/LiPON interface. Under electrochemical conditions, the nanocrystalline layer with insufficient electrochemical stability leads to the introduction of voids during electrochemical cycles, which is the origin of the high Li⁺ transfer impedance at solid electrolyte-electrode interfaces. In addition, at relatively low temperatures, the oxygen vacancies migration in the transition layer results in the formation of Co₃O₄ nanocrystalline layer with nanovoids, which contributes to the high Li⁺ transfer impedance. This work sheds light on the mechanism for the high interfacial resistance and promotes overcoming the interfacial issues in all-solid-state batteries.     

Revealing cracking and breakage behaviours of gibbsite particles

Mitigating gibbsite particle cracking and breakage during industrial alumina production can increase the quality of smelter grade alumina product by reducing the ultrafine particle content. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the particle cracking during static calcination and the breakage of calcined gibbsite particles under external force. In this work, we investigated the impact of the calcination ramping rate and the crystallite size on gibbsite particle cracking during static calcination. A slow ramping rate and a large pristine crystallite size tend to increase particle cracking. Apart from the study of particle cracking behaviour, we also investigated the breakage of calcined gibbsite particle under external force. Cracks on the particle surface can initiate breakage within the crystallite and along the grain boundary under external force. The breakage within crystallite occurs as the cleavage of the crystallite, while the breakage along the grain boundary leads to the shedding of a whole crystallite. We further explored the factors influencing the strength of calcined gibbsite particles. With increasing calcination temperature, the strength of particle increases when gibbsite converts to boehmite, and then decreases when boehmite converts into amorphous alumina. Particles containing smaller crystallites and calcined with fast ramping rates exhibit higher resistance to breakage.     

Superior Low-Temperature Reversible Adhesion Based on Bio-Inspired Microfibrillar Adhesives Fabricated by Phenyl Containing Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomers

Gecko-inspired microfibrillar adhesives have achieved great progress in microstructure design and adhesion improvement over the past two decades. Space applications nowadays show great interest in this material for the characteristics of reversible adhesion and universal van der Waals interactions. However, the impact of harsh environment of space on the performance of microfibrillar adhesives, especially the extreme low temperature, is rarely addressed. Herein, microfibrillar adhesives fabricated by phenyl containing polydimethylsiloxane (p-PDMS) elastomers with superior low-temperature reversible adhesion is proposed. p-PDMS elastomers are synthesized through one-pot anionic ring-opening copolymerization, and the resulting elastomers become non-crystallizable with excellent low-temperature elasticity. Low-temperature adhesion tests demonstrate that the adhesion strength of microfibrillar adhesives fabricated by p-PDMS elastomers can be well maintained to as low as −120 °C. In contrast, the adhesion strength of pure PDMS microfibrillar adhesive reduces more than 50% below its crystallization temperature. The low-temperature cyclic adhesion tests further demonstrate that p-PDMS microfibrillar adhesives exhibit superior reversible adhesion compared to that of PDMS microfibrillar adhesives, owing to the sustainable conformal contact and even distribution of loads over repeated cycles. This study provides a new fabrication strategy for microfibrillar adhesives, and is beneficial for the practical application of microfibrillar adhesives.     

Influence of the Gaussian colored noise and electromagnetic radiation on the propagation of subthreshold signals in feedforward neural networks

Science China Technological Sciences - Iterative methods are used to simulate the in vitro feedforward neural networks in physiological experiments. Emissivity can be propagated to a minimum of ten...     

对称极坐标牛顿法潮流的直角坐标解法

为综合利用极坐标牛顿法潮流方程数少、雅可比矩阵J元素少以及直角坐标牛顿法中没有三角函数计算的特点,并克服极坐标牛顿法潮流J阵元素的不对称使其计算速度不理想的情况,提出一种对称极坐标牛顿法潮流的直角坐标解法.主要内容为,建立结构不完全对称的子阵形式的极坐标J阵,通过子阵建立子阵元素间的对应关系;拆分J阵元素的计算,建立子阵元素的部分对称关系;对J阵元素等计算公式进行三角变换,并按"二行+二列"的对称方式计算J阵元素;用四角规则而不是消元计算公式对J阵元素消元;将取倒的对角元素作为规格化因子以减少除法计算.新方法不但可实现J阵元素的部分对称计算,还可大量减少三角函数的运算以及消元过程中的除法运算,且无需计算公式直接完成消元计算.以IEEE-118节点系统为例,新方法生成J阵速度可提高约90％以上,潮流计算速度可提高约30％,并极利于编程.     

碳中和背景下配电网差异化节能降耗潜力评估分

为了提高配电网差异化节能降耗效果，解决现有潜力评估方法存在的应用性能差的问题，提出碳中和背景下配电网差异化节能降耗潜力优化评估方法。根据配电网的空间结构，构建相应的等值电路模型。在该模型下，从设备损耗和运行附加损耗2个方面计算配电网的损耗量。根据损耗量计算结果，确定配电网差异化碳中和节能降耗方式。从静态和动态2个角度设置潜力评估指标，通过指标数据处理、指标权重求解等步骤，得出配电网差异化节能降耗潜力的综合量化评估结果。将设计潜力评估方法应用到配电网的差异化节能降耗改造工作中，能够有效降低配电网的实际线损量、降低区域损耗费用，并具有较高的应用价值。     

Experimental Investigation on Low-Velocity Impact Performance of 3D Woven Textile Composites

Applied Composite Materials - The objectives of this experimental study are to develop impact-resistant three-dimensional (3D) woven textile-reinforced composites as well as to clarify the...